All this talk about bloodlines and being chosen made my head spin.
“So you did some digging and found out that I was… what? Chosen to bechosen?”What the fuck was that anyway?“Why Grey? What makes him so special?”
“Because I’m not going to hurt you.” Grey’s voice startled me. He’d moved right behind me now.
I tried to ignore his closeness and focus on Caspian. “You just said he was the most brutal man in the Brotherhood.”
“Only to those who deserve it,” Grey replied. “Don’t cross me, and you won’t deserve it.”
I looked over my shoulder at him. The sheer ferocity in his eyes was enough to awaken every single survival instinct I had within me.
“So that’s it then? I just…belongto you forever? Do we have to actually get married? What if I want out?”
“Then you die.”
Then I die.Holy shit.
He said it as though he were ordering a coffee from a barista. He stared at me, through me,intome, making sure his words hit their mark, then moved around the sofa and sat next to me,rightnext to me.
I made myself relax, even though I really wanted to bolt right out of my skin.
His gaze slid over me. “And not the way youwantto die.” He must have been thinking of what he witnessed in the bathroom earlier. “Their way will be painful. It won’t be quick. And you’ll wish you’d woken up in hell rather than betrayed these men.” He took a drink. “And yes, we will be married in the eyes of the Brotherhood.”
In the eyes of the Brotherhood.Not in the eyes of God. Not in the eyes of the law.
Because dead people didn’t get marriage certificates, and God wanted nothing to do with these men.
“There will be a ceremony in two weeks, followed by the Consummation.”
“The Consummation?”
He sucked in a long breath, exhaling it as a shadow passed over his handsome features. “I’m going to fuck you, sweet girl. And four other men are going to watch.”
I lost awareness of everything else around me. There was only me, him, and those words. Suddenly, it felt like I was underwater again, struggling to breathe. “I can’t… That can’t… We can’t…”You’re not Lincoln.
“Either I fuck you or they do. Take your pick. But I assure you, you want it to be me.”
They.The four. The fathers. I knew Kipton was one of them for sure, and I didn’t want him anywhere near me.
I cut my gaze from his. It was too much, too unnerving. “Can I see Tatum?” I asked Caspian.
Can I see Lincoln?
His jaw set and eyes narrowed. “No.”
“Does she know that I’m not…” I couldn’t even finish my words.Dead.
“No.”
“Will you tell her?”
“No.” He gave me a look that saidI know you’re smarter than that. “You know my little troublemaker as well as I do. If she found out you’re alive, she’d bend heaven and earth to bring you back home.” He gestured around the room. “Thisis your home now, Lyric. I won’t let Tatum risk her life to save yours.”
“You love her.” I smiled. This was the first hint of joy I’d felt since I rolled over and found Lincoln standing next to my bed that night. I didn’t even know how long ago that had been. Hours. Days. I had no idea how long I’d been gone.
He looked away from me. “I want her safe.”
Busted.